


In Which Lovino Hates Christmas and Alfred Is Offended

by notkewlio



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Christmas, College AU, Cute Ending, M/M, Roommates, christmas outing turns to dating, francis and arthur being assholes, im so bad at tags, its so cute okay, non binary poland, uh, what the heckie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-03-04 01:40:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2904608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notkewlio/pseuds/notkewlio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hey guys! This is a somewhat late christmas gift for my good friend.<br/>Basically, lovino hates everything, and alfred wants to make him happy. And also maybe kiss him. Shenanigans ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Difference in Opinions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [quizzletriangle3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/quizzletriangle3/gifts).



> I use a lot of different languages throughout this!! its a bit of italian, french, turkish... this and that. I do not speak any language but english fluently, so ive simply used google translate. Please, if you see that my non-english is wrong, feel free to leave a nice comment telling me what is wrong and what the proper way to say it is. It will be much appreciated! any translated words will be put in [ ] after the sentence in english. (Kinda confusing, i know, but it reads well.)  
> also!! Any BOLD and ITALICIZED words are quotes from the book called 'The Song of Achilles' by Madeline Miller, and IS NOT my writing.  
> please enjoy :)

Christmas was easily Alfred’s favorite holiday.

Christmas was also easily Lovino’s least favorite holiday.

Now, naturally, the boys had many differences as they were obviously different people- but they still worked together to form a strong relationship. They had to; otherwise sharing their room together at Hetalia W Academy would be absolute hell.

They had split the room evenly in half when they first met. Lovino’s half was the left half, and consisted of a rug, a bed, a desk and half of the in-wall closet. Alfred’s half was made up of a bed, a tiny nightstand and lamp, and the other half of the closet. Over time, the very precise line of the division between the boys space had become less defined and more of a general area. Of course, Alfred had begun to throw his clothes, his shoes, his books, his _whatever_ across the line to Lovino's side. Alfred took up a lot of space. Lovino did not.

But back to the point.

When December 1st rolled around, Alfred immediately took the chance to decorate his side with twinkling lights and scented candles and a little wooden Santa Claus that had a countdown to Christmas. He even managed to get a little Christmas tree- one of those expensive LED trees that glowed with red, white and blue colors.

Lovino _despised_ Christmas.

So many times had he heard the name “Scrooge” in reference to him, so many times had he been scrutinized because he wouldn't “get into the holiday spirit”, _so many times_ had he been tricked with mistletoe. He hated the whole holiday and he wished it would go away.

Unfortunately, his roommate wouldn’t let Lovino go without a Christmas experience.

 

“Alfred, would you _please_ turn off that music. You _know_ I hate it.” Lovino groans. He was laying on his bed, trying to read- _trying_ being the key word here. And it was just getting to the good part too! The main character, His name was Patroclus, was about to--

“C’mon, Lovino, don’t be such a downer! It’s only the best Christmas song ever!” Alfred whines, a pout already forming on his mouth.

“That’s what you said about the last song! Turn off this damn CD and stop singing! My ears are _bleeding_ , Alfred, you sound like a dying whale.” Lovino snaps, laying the book on his chest and glaring at Alfred.

“I’ll have you know that I won 1st place in my schools choir competition!”

“Then sing like it! Whatever is happening right here isn’t 1st place worthy.”

“Lovino, you wound me.” Alfred whines, placing a hand over his heart.

“Well, sing better or stop making noise.” Lovino deadpans, picking up his book and resuming his reading.

_**… “I did not think we would ever-” He was hesitating over every word, and I could not blame him.** _

_**“I did not think so either.” I said.** _

_**“Are you sorry?” The words were quickly out of him, a single breath.** _

_**“I am not,” I said.** _

_**“I”--** _

“It’s the MOST WONDERFUL TIIIIIME OF THE YEAR.” Startled from his reading, Lovino glares up at Alfred, who is standing on his bed. Alfred’s arms are raised as if he was a cheerleader waving some sports player on. He takes a deep breath and begins to sing again- “WITH THE KIDS JINGLE BELLING AND EVERYONE TELLING YOU TO BE OF GOOD CHEEEEER.”

“Alfred!! _Silenzio! Voglio solo leggere_!” Lovino shouts in Italian. [Italian: Be quiet. I just want to read.]

“IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIIIIIIME OF THE YEAR. ITS THE HAP-HAPPIEST SEASON OF ALLLL.” Alfred continues, with just as much enthusiasm and volume as he began with.

“Stop! Alfred you bastard!” Lovino cries, dropping his book and placing his hands over his ears in a vain attempt to block out the horrid yelling.

“WITH THE HOLIDAY GREETINGS AND GAY HAPPY MEETINGS” Alfred winks down at Lovino. “WHEN FRIENDS COME TO CAAAALL! IT’S THE HAP- HAPPIEST SEASON OF ALLLL.”

“Alfred, _si prega di fermarsi ora!_ Please stop! ” Lovino yells, barely matching Alfred’s volume. [Italian: Please stop now.]

Alfred, _finally_ , shuts his mouth and stops singing. Lovino notices the music isn’t playing anymore either.

“You just had to say please.” Alfred smirks, lowering his arms.

“ _Ti odio_.” Lovino practically spits. [Italian: I hate you.] “Oh my god Alfred, why do you hate me so much. Can’t I just read?!” He huffs. Alfred hops off the bed and quickly snatches the book out of Lovino’s hands and begins to read aloud.

_**“And I did not care about the damp pallet or how sweaty I was. His eyes were unwavering, green flecked with gold.”**_ Lovino stands, trying to take it back.

“Alfred- you ass- give it back!” Alfred holds the book up above his head, still reading from it.

_**“A surety rose in me, lodged in my throat. I will never leave him, it will be this, always, for as long as he will let me.”** _

“Alfred, stop it!” Lovino jumps, trying to reach the book.

“Oh my god, Lovino! Are you reading-” Alfred gasps. “About _gay sex_?” He teases, still holding the book just out of reach from Lovino’s grasping hands. Lovino beats his hands on Alfred’s chest, knowing full well it won’t hurt him too much.

“Alfred, I swear I’m going to move to another dorm and then your sorry ass will be all alone!” Lovino threatens.

“Hey,” Alfred says, frowning. “You wouldn’t actually do that, would you?” He says. He sounds almost… scared that Lovino would leave. Lovino takes this chance to grab his book back.

“Probably not, Alfred.” Lovino sits back on his bed, and Alfred sits on his. There’s a second of silence while Lovino tries to find his place in the pages again. Lovino gives up, and just places his bookmark safely among the pages and puts it on his desk.

“Lovino?”

“What is it?”

“Why do you hate Christmas so much?” Alfred asks. He’s still sitting on his bed, looking up at Lovino expectantly.

Lovino sighs. “I think I hate that question more than I hate the holiday.” He turns to face Alfred. “Why do you like it so much?”

“I dunno, dude. It’s a great time to spend time with people you love, there’s cheery music everywhere, it’s a good excuse to hang little lights in my room, and I like giving people things.” The blond says, shrugging.

“Huh, I would have thought you would prefer to be given things, not the other way around.” Lovino smirks.

“Yeah, that’s nice, but I actually like buying the perfect gift for my friends. And y’know, I’m pretty much loaded with cash, so why not put it to good use?” Alfred says, looking kind of bashful. “I like seeing my friends smile when they see what I’ve gotten them. One year, I managed to get Matthew a hockey stick signed by his most favorite player, and he cried.” Alfred laughs. “He actually cried, and he’s _still_ thanking me for it.” Alfred smiles, and looks down at the ground, lost in thought. “I just enjoy the holiday season.”

Lovino just stares. He had no idea that Alfred actually felt that deeply about his friends or this holiday.

“I see.” He sighs. Now that Alfred said something about the holidays, it was his turn wasn’t it?

Damn.

Lovino sits on his bed, tipping his head back till it bumps gently against the wall. “Well, when I was a kid, I wasn’t ‘loaded with cash’. My family was poor, y’know? I didn’t have much, and I got jealous easily. My parents were bitter, and I was bitter, it was like our whole family ate only lemons. When I got older, I was still broke. I never had anyone to spend Christmas with. It was never a time to be happy; it was a time to wish you had more.” Alfred frowns, but Lovino just rolls his eyes. “I managed through, but now I’m in college and its fine to me that I don’t celebrate the holidays. But not to anyone else. I always get things like ‘ _smile, its Christmas!’ ‘Don’t be such a Grinch, Lovino.’ ‘Fuck you too, scrooge_.’ Did you know I only read that stupid Charles Dickens story because I didn’t know who scrooge was?” Lovino huffs a breath out and sits forward. “Maybe if I had one good experience with Christmas I’d enjoy it. But I haven’t had that experience yet.”

“Damn, Lovino.”

Lovino shrugs. He had come to terms with it ages ago, and didn’t expect anything to change soon.

“Why didn’t you tell me that sooner? Christmas is in less than a week, and you haven’t gone Christmas shopping at all! I could take you! You just can’t go without Christmas cheer or any gifts or any-”

“Alfred, that is the opposite of what I want you to do. I really don’t feel like I need to buy anything for anyone, because I doubt they’ll get me anything anyway. I also hate shopping.”

“You’re such a downer!” Alfred pouts. Lovino sighs. “Listen, how about I take you on a Christmas date.”

“A Christmas… date.”

“You heard me. I’ll take you to the city, show you the sights, and finish it off with dinner or a party.”

“Sounds awfully romantic.”

“I didn’t mean-!” Alfred stops, blushing madly.

Lovino snickers. “Stop blushing, I have reason to think you would like to go on a date with me anyway. I don’t mind, I’m irresistible.”

“Shut up! Wait- you have reason to think _what_?!” Alfred cries, blushing even more. In a second, Lovino is up and off his bed and is leaning over Alfred, their faces only inches apart. Alfred goes stiff as a board, and just stares up at Lovino’s half lidded eyes, waiting for him to make a move.

Lovino leans closer until their lips are just a breath away. Alfred, on pure instinct, leans forward to close that distance and-

Lovino pulls back and grins like mad. He laughs. “I was right!”

“Lovino, you fucker, I swear I’ll-” Alfred reaches back, grabs his pillow and smashes it to Lovino’s face. There’s a satisfying _oomph_ from Lovino as he flies back onto his bed.

“Oh, you’re gonna get it now, Alfred!” Lovino quickly retaliates with his own pillow, successfully knocking Alfred’s glasses askew.

Hits are traded like words as the two boys fight. Quickly the pillows are dropped in favor of actual physical wrestling, Alfred strong but Lovino evasive. It ends with Alfred pinning Lovino to the floor, Lovino’s hands above his head and his legs tucked under Alfred’s body. Alfred lords over Lovino, chest heaving with quickened breath.

“I win.” Alfred declares. Sometime during the fight his glasses were knocked completely off, and Lovino stares into honest blue eyes. A curl of hair is lying on Lovino’s face, and he tries to move it off with a shake of his head, but it only makes it worse. He tries again. Still, it doesn’t move off of his face or out of his eye.

Alfred gently touches Lovino’s face, to brush the curl out of the way and to seemingly trace down Lovino’s jaw line. Lovino’s eyes flick from the hand on his face to Alfred’s eyes.  Alfred leans closer, and he keeps leaning until their lips are only a few centimeters away. Lovino resists the urge to rise and meet him, but he fails. Alfred exhales his breath warm on Lovino’s mouth; part of him wishes Alfred would just kiss him already. Then Alfred grins.

He pulls away, still holding Lovino’s arms above his head.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t want to kiss me just now.” Alfred smirks. “You almost did.”

“ _È dannatamente stuzzicare_.” Lovino hisses. [Italian: You damn tease.] It was true, he almost did, and there was no denying the flush on his cheeks.

Suddenly, there was a gentle knock on the door, and the door swung open before either boy had a chance to react. Standing there was Matthew, Alfred’s best friend from down the hall.

“What are you guys doing in here? I heard obnoxious singing, then wrestling, then-” Matthew’s eyes land on the two of them, frozen in their positions on the floor. He instantly turns a bright red; poor Matthew was never one to handle PDA very well. “I’ll just be going then…” and then Matthew books it back into the hallway, slamming the door shut.

“Shit,” Lovino sighs.

“He’s gonna tell Francis.” Alfred says, still looking at the door with wide eyes. Alfred is scrambling up and putting on his glasses like his pants had lit on fire. “Shit, he’s gonna tell Francis!” He repeats.  
Lovino sits up and pulls his pillow back to himself. He stands and puts it back on his bed. “What’s the big deal, it’s just _Francis_ -“

“HE DID WHAT?!? WITH WHO? _MON DIEU_!” [french: my god!] Both Alfred and Lovino cringe as they hear Francis shouting from down the hall. Lovino sits on the edge of his bed as frantic footsteps approach their door and -apparently- kick it wide open. In the door way stands one Frenchman with hair that would make even Alfred jealous. “IF THERE ANY SHENANIGANS GOING ON AROUND HERE, I NEED TO KNOW _TOUT DE SUITE_!” [french: Right away!]

“Francis, whether anyone is up to anything is absolutely none of your business.” Lovino deadpans in the face of what truly must be a frightening man. He was fashionable and furious.

“Do not lie to yourself. You know you want to share all the juicy details with _grand frère, non_?” [french: Big brother.] Francis drawls, winking purposefully at Lovino.

“No, get out.” Lovino gets up to slam the door, locking it behind him. Francis pounds on the door.

“ _Garçon italien_! Do not shut big brother out!” [french: italian boy.]  
Loud Frenchman nearly forgotten, Lovino turns to face Alfred, who looks horrified. “What’s your problem?” he asks.

“If he tells anyone, I’m dead meat.”

“What? Why?”

“Can you imagine what it would be like if _Arthur_ found out? The ass hat would bust a nut running to come and make fun of me!”

“Alfred, there isn’t really anything to be found out though.”

“By the time it makes it to Arthur, there will be, Francis sure knows how to spread a rumor.” Alfred says grimly, running a hand through his hair. Lovino waits a moment for Alfred to calm down.

“You’re still going to take me on that Christmas date, right?”

“You still want to go?”

“Yes.” 

 


	2. Turkish ice cream, thrift shopping, and food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of things happen, and lovino actually enjoys himself. Its probably because he doesnt have to pay for anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH man this stuff is really messy and this chapter is really looooong but im done!! I hope you guys follow and enjoy the plot...  
> i split the rest of it up simply because its so long.  
> PS: happy new years!

And so they did. Alfred was in an especially cheery mood the next morning, which only made Lovino regret his decision as he felt Alfred was _too_ cheery. Nonetheless, as soon as 2 o’ clock rolled around, Lovino dressed up for the ‘date’ and so did Alfred.

And _damn_ did that boy know how to wear the right pair of jeans. They were black _skinny jeans_. Lovino wasn’t going to deny the fact that Alfred had some nice legs. And the way the jeans hugged the curve of his ass- _damn_.

Lovino dressed sensibly, also in dark wash jeans. He wore a white shirt and a blue scarf, covering most of his outfit with a brown leather coat to keep warm in the chilly weather. They were going to spend a lot of time outside, as far as Lovino could gather.

“Are you ready to go, Lovi?”

“Don’t call me that.” Lovino glares up at Alfred who is standing at the door of their dorm, keys in hand.

“Aw, wittle Lovi don’t wike his nickname?”

“Say Lovi one more time and I’ll knock your teeth in, bastard.” Alfred laughs and shrugs, opening the door and swaggering into the hall way.

“Are you sure you will….. Lovi?” He grins, and with a flash of blond hair, dashes down the hall. Lovino chases him out into the hallway, barely remembering to close the door behind him, and soon catches up with Alfred. The not-so-short run from their floor (the 5th), down the stairs, to the front doors on the 1st floor has both the boys panting and wheezing as they laugh at each other.

“I’m serious… man. Don’t… call me… Lovi.” Lovino manages between breaths.

Alfred just chuckles. “No promises.”

They walk out the front door and are greeted with a wall of cold air. Alfred, like the idiot he is, doesn’t bother to even button up his coat in the face of the wind, but Lovino zips his coat up to his scarf. It’s mildly windy and softly snowing.

“C’mon, my cars in the back lot.” Alfred says, gesturing to the sidewalk that led around the school. The wind lessened as they walked behind the school.

“What kind of car do you have?” Lovino asked, very interested in cars himself. He didn’t have a car, but damn, he really liked them.

“A ’91 Honda accord.” Alfred says, sounding quite pleased with himself.

“A Honda?” Lovino repeats, trying to remember what those looked like. They walk for a few more moments before Alfred says with a grin, “There it is.” and gestures to a car only a few paces away.

Oh. So that’s what 1991 Honda Accord looked like.

Not too terribly exciting, Lovino was sad to admit. It was a black, kind of boxy car, with 4 doors and what appeared to be a tan interior. It had tinted windows though; that was hella rad. It was also 100% Alfred’s doing, there was no way that car came with such darkly tinted windows. Alfred was positively beaming though, so Lovino just got in the car without complaint.

“I’ve finally just paid her off, so now she’s all mine.” Alfred smiles, starting the car with a low rumble. “Doesn’t she look nice?” He fondly runs his hands over the leather steering wheel.

“She?” Lovino points out. He buckles his lap belt; the top belt was automatic, so when he closed the car door, it buckled him in.

  
“I’ve ordered some fucking _sweet_ rims too! They should be here soon, and after I fix some speakers up, I can put them in here too!” Alfred continues. He looks positively ecstatic, and Lovino can’t help but to smile at his childlike joy. Alfred shivers and reaches to the dash to turn the heat on. “We’ll take off in a second, I’ve just gotta let the engine warm up, y’know?”

“Alright. So where exactly do you plan on taking me?” Lovino asks. “Also, buckle your seat belt.”

Alfred stops. “Buckle my seat belt? What are you, the seat belt police?” He snorts.

“Safety first.” Lovino says sternly. He glares at Alfred until Alfred gives in with an obnoxious sigh.

“Wow Lovino, never thought you to be that kind of person,” Alfred says, smirking, but he does reach for his belt and clicks it in. “Anyway, I was just gonna take you uptown. They’re hosting a festival of sorts. I thought... I thought we could enjoy it together.” Alfred says, a faint dreamy expression gracing his face.

Lovino laughs quietly.  “Again, I feel like you have this whole thing planned out, Alfred. A romantic date- no homo though-”

“I totally am a homo though!” Alfred declares much too loudly. Then he catches himself.  “Obviously I am not 100% percent straight, as you may have noticed, but I really _hate_ the phrase ‘no homo’.” He says, pushing his glasses up awkwardly.

Lovino files that information in the back of his mind. Then he notices that Alfred never really denied the idea of it being a romantic date.

In a somewhat comfortable silence, Alfred pulls out and takes to the highway.

Surprisingly, Alfred is a good driver. Lovino expected him to be this reckless, asshole driver that would never manage to get pulled over purely because the cops wouldn’t ever be able to catch up to him. Lovino was right about one thing though, Alfred played loud music that was probably annoying as _hell_ to anyone outside the car.

Inside the car, the bass rumbled gently against Lovino’s seat, and the music wasn’t that irritating. Lovino did ask Alfred to turn it down though. Holding a conversation over music that loud was like trying to staple water to a tree- it was near impossible. It wasn’t until they reached the wide open area of the highway that Lovino finally relaxed into the situation at hand.

“I really do hope you enjoy today,” Alfred says, blue eyes concentrating on the road ahead. They were going pretty fast, about 75-80, because not a single car was in sight for a while either way. “Maybe it can be that wonderful Christmas experience you need.” He says, smiling softly.

Lovino nods. “It might be.” A speed limit sign passes in a flash, but Lovino sees that it says the maximum speed limit should be 70. “Alfred, didn’t you see that?” He says, half wanting to go faster, half wanting to avoid getting pulled over.

“Sure did.” Alfred smirks. With a low rumble the car goes even faster. Trees and signs race past their car in a colorful blur, the road becoming a grey streak.

“Alfred!” Lovino laughs, excited by the increasing speed.  
“Zoom Zoom, mother fucker!” Alfred exclaims, still going ever faster. Lovino feels his heart beating wildly in his chest, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He laughs again. This is precisely why he loved cars so much- the intensity of flying down the street with reckless abandon was absolutely electrifying. (Also it was fun to drag race, but that’s probably best kept on the down low, as its illegal in most places.) Lovino rests his head against his head rest and shuts his eyes, grinning like mad. The speed was exhilarating!

Soon enough, Alfred slows down again. Lovino is still smiling as they resume the set speed of about 60.

“Fuck, that was awesome.” Lovino breathes.

Alfred glances over at Lovino, whose amber eyes are practically glowing with excitement. Alfred smiles to himself. He was cute, all happy like that. That’s the side of Lovino Alfred wanted to see. “Yeah? You should see it when I get past 100. This car handles it like a _dream_.” Alfred says, eyes back on the road.

“Is that why you like it so much?” Lovino asks, gazing out the window.

“Hell yeah it is. Also, it’s a classic. Can’t hate the classics.” Alfred pushes his glasses up with his free hand. “I’ve also put a lot of work into it, and I’ve just grown attached, you know?”

“Yeah,” Lovino smiles. “I know.”

The rest of the drive passes with easy conversation and only one Christmas song. (It was a cover by Cee Lo Green; even Lovino couldn’t deny Cee Lo Green.) When they finally arrive in the city, Lovino finds that there _was_ a festival going on, as shown by the red bows and silver garlands hanging off the high rise buildings. Women everywhere were in old timey dresses- the ones with little hats and lace and fur trimmings. Men were dressed in top hats and vests and held pocket watches in their hands. A few even had those spectacular moustaches that curled onto their cheeks. They walked in pairs, one man and one woman, and they went up to the casual city goers and bowed, or lifted their hats in greetings.

Lovino thinks it’s quite strange, and also kind of annoying, but he tries his best to be in a good mood.

Alfred drives around for a bit before parking behind a little ice cream shop. There isn’t any wind now, Lovino notices as they step out of the safe and warm interior of the car. It’s still softly snowing though. Alfred locks his car and checks the handle twice. Once he knows that his precious car is locked, he looks up at the shop he’s parked behind.

“Hey, check it out! I love this little ice cream shop, come on! Let’s go visit my friend Sadiq.” Alfred says, grabbing Lovino’s arm and dragging him to the front of the shop. _Dondurma Dükkanı_ , the shop is called. [Turkish: Ice cream shop.]

The tiny bell above the door alerts the store to their entrance, and a tall, dark-skinned man greets them from behind the counter.

“ _Merhaba_! Hello, welcome to _Dondurma Dükkanı_!” He says warmly. [Turkish: Hello.] “May I help you?” Lovino looks around, the shop was tiny but cozy, and it was cleaned well. It was decorated for Christmas, simple decorations gracing the pale green walls. On one wall was a row of refrigerators with ice cream boxes and decorated cakes, on the other wall was a few high tables with no chairs. It was a cute little shop.

“Hi, Sadiq! Long time no see!” Alfred says, waving and smiling at the man.

“Alfred? Alfred, hello!” The man- Sadiq, apparently- walks out from behind the counter and claps Alfred into a bear hug. Pulling back, Sadiq holds Alfred by the shoulders. “Why don’t you come and visit me anymore?”

  
“I’ve been busy!” Alfred laughs, seemingly unbothered by the huge hands resting on his shoulders. “I’m living the college life.” Sadiq nods as if this makes complete sense. “Oh, and by the way, Sadiq, this is my roommate, Lovino!” Alfred says, gesturing behind him to where Lovino stands. Lovino nods in their direction.

Suddenly all the attention of the tall and intimidating man is turned to Lovino with intense scrutiny. He has at least 8 inches of height that Lovino doesn’t have, and a wicked expression with glowing green eyes that makes Lovino want to back slowly out of the store without making any sudden movements. Then Sadiq relaxes, laughing loudly.

“Nice to meet you, Lovino! Italian, yes?” He says, throwing a beefy arm around Lovino’s shoulders. Lovino nods stiffly.

“Yeah, I’m from the southern part of Italy.” He says.

“I approve! You will do well for my little Alfred.” Sadiq then says, catching both Lovino and Alfred off guard.

Alfred turns a bright crimson and holds up his hands. “Sadiq, no, it’s not _like_ that-”

“Do not lie to me, Alfred, I can see it in your eyes!” Sadiq laughs a rich laugh that seems to come from a deep place within his chest. Lovino's not quite sure what’s going on, but it’s amusing to see Alfred all red in the face. “Here, boys let me get you some ice cream. On the house.” Alfred mutters under his breath something along the lines of _‘god damn Turkish man ruins everything’_ but nonetheless steps forward to the counter. Sadiq smiles at the boys from behind the counter and retakes his air of professionalism. “What can I get you boys? Today’s special is the Holiday Fudge Sprinkle.” Sadiq winks. “Came up with that one myself.”

Lovino glances up at the colorful menu boards and tries to pick something. They all look so yummy! Lovino _loves_ ice cream, and if he wasn’t a broke ass college student who didn’t have much more than a shared mini fridge in Feliciano’s room, he’d have more ice cream on the daily. For the sake of time, Lovino just gives up.

“Can I have the Holiday Fudge Sprinkle, please?” He says politely. Sadiq nods and turns to Alfred.

“I want a mint chocolate chip cone.” Alfred says, grinning.

“Ah yes, what else have you ever gotten.” Sadiq says, smirking as he turns to the humming ice cream machines behind him. He prepares Alfred’s cone with experienced ease.

“I always order that,” Alfred says quietly to Lovino with a fond grin. Lovino smiles.

“Yah! He always has, ever since he was small.” Sadiq interjects, laughing at the two of them as he hands Alfred his cone.

“I wasn’t that small…” Alfred says, taking a bite of his cone, a pink color rising in his cheeks.

“You were! Just a wee thing. He was very short.” The last part of his sentence is directed at Lovino with a wink.

“I was not!” Alfred cries. “You’re just so freaking tall, everyone is small to you.” He pouts and takes another bite of the mint colored ice cream.

Lovino grins. Lovino wasn’t short, really, but Alfred was 5’9”, and Lovino was only 5’6”. He would have never imagined Alfred to be a short kid. Alfred was right, however, Sadiq was much taller than them both at about 6’2”. He was also big shouldered and just _looked_ bigger than everyone else.

“Yes, but you were small! You also had very knobby knees, and you were _so_ clumsy-”

“Sadiq, stop it!” Alfred blushes and appears to be trying to hide behind his melting ice cream cone.  Sadiq laughs his rich and deep laugh, and Lovino laughs a little too. “Don’t you join in on this too Lovino. I feel _betrayed_.” Alfred whines.

Sadiq gently sets a huge Styrofoam container of ice cream down on the counter, then gently tucks a spoon in the side. Lovino's mouth starts to water at the mountain of ice cream drenched in dark fudge and covered in green and red sprinkles.

“ _Damn_.” Lovino says. Sadiq grins.

“Is that not just the best? Go ahead, dig in. You will enjoy it. Sure, Alfred over here would _never_ know, because all he gets is his precious little mint chocolate cone-”

“Sadiq, are you _trying_ to embarrass me?!”

“Is it working?” Sadiq laughs heartily and reaches across the counter to ruffle Alfred’s blonde hair with one hand. Lovino senses there’s a lot of history between those two, and an obvious sense of familiarity.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Lovino takes the plastic spoon and digs a chunk of the ice cream out of the tray and eats it.

It. Was. _Delicious_. Lovino quickly takes another bite, disregarding any caution of a brain freeze. The ice cream was smooth and rich, the chocolate fudge warm but not overwhelming, and the sprinkles add a nice finishing touch.

“Alfred, you bastard,” Lovino says between bites, “Why haven’t you taken me here before.”

Sadiq laughs again. “You boys are welcome any time!” He says, holding his arms out to his sides. “Your school can not be too far away from here.”

“About 40 minutes drive,” Alfred says, licking melted ice cream off of his fingers.

“After 8 years of knowing one another, 40 minutes is nothing.” Sadiq says, absent mindedly cleaning the counter with a rag his pulled from his waist.

“8 years?” Lovino says, surprised.

Alfred nods, smiling fondly. “I used to live around here. I would come here after school, you know, and just pig out on ice cream. Big ol’ Turkish guy here had just opened his shop and I became his best customer.”

“It was true!” Sadiq laughs. “He almost never missed a day of visiting.” Lovino nods, smiling, still happily eating his ice cream. “But then you went to college! I hardly ever see you nowadays.”

Alfred nods. “I know, I know. But I will try to visit more often!” Sadiq smiles.

“I hold you to that, Alfred.”

“Alright, alright, I get it.” Alfred chuckles. “Hey, Lovi, almost done with your ice cream?” Alfred asks. He had finished his cone a few moments ago.

Lovino stops, spoon half way to his mouth. “What did I say,” He growls, “About calling me Lovi?” He angrily eats his spoonful, although Lovino doubted Alfred would take him seriously if he had a mouthful of ice cream.

Regardless, Alfred puts his hands up in front of him in defense.

“Right, sorry. Heh.” He says, not actually sounding too sorry. Sadiq chuckles and makes a whipping noise with his mouth.

“That boy has you whipped, Alfred!” He teases.

“Oh _fuck_ _off_!” Alfred hisses, blushing darkly. “Lovino, let’s go before Sadiq finds more ways to mortify me.” He says, grabbing Lovino by the arm and practically _dragging_ him out of the shop.

“ _Güle güle!_ Good bye, boys, don’t be strangers to dear old Sadiq!” Sadiq says, waving one massive hand in farewell. [Turkish: goodbye!]

“Thanks for the ice cream!” Lovino says, carefully balancing his Styrofoam tray of ice cream in one hand, spoon in the other. The bell dings as they exit.

Alfred is muttering darkly to himself as they begin to meander down the sidewalk. It’s stopped snowing, Lovino notices. Good, he didn’t want his ice cream to be covered in snow.

“…Last time I visited… asshole… not a very good sense of humor… I don’t _always_ get that ice cream…” Alfred mutters. Lovino sighs. He grabs a big spoonful of ice cream and tells Alfred “Open your mouth.”

Alfred does after a moment of hesitation. Lovino shoves the ice cream into his mouth, and then pulls the spoon back.

“There. Now you’ve tasted a new flavor, so would you _please_ stop muttering under your breath like a whiny bastard.” Lovino says.

Alfred nods, working the huge chunk of ice cream in his mouth, hand up to his lips to wipe away any sticky residue. Lovino eats another spoonful, looking around. It was growing dark although it was only about 4 in the afternoon. The festive people dressed in old timey costumes were still strolling about, but now they seemed to be caroling.

For the first time in a very long time, Lovino's heart swells with happiness when they approach a caroling group that is singing loudly in their direction.  
“We wish you happy holidays,” they sing. Lovino smiles and waves at them.

“Alfred, do you want the rest of my ice cream? There’s more than enough for one person, and I’ve had my share.” Lovino offers the tray to Alfred. Alfred takes it with a gentle smile.  
“You seem pretty chipper,” Alfred comments, looking at Lovino with those honest blue eyes.

“I love ice cream,” Lovino says. “And I love fast cars. This ‘date’ is going pretty awesomely, if I don’t say so myself.”

Alfred, oh Alfred, the way he smiles damn nearly stops Lovino’s heart. Alfred kind of has a lopsided grin, so when he smiles, one side of his mouth perks up before the other does. He smiles so earnestly, so _happily_ , that Lovino can’t help it when his pulse picks up and his cheeks flush warmly.

 _Fuck_.

“I’m happy to hear that, Lovino!”

Lovino clears his throat and looks away from Alfred’s freckled face, trying to make his blush go away. Alfred, practically oblivious, just keeps eating the ice cream with that _damn_ smile of his.

Lovino kicks a tiny pebble on the ground and watches as it skips off the sidewalk and into the street. “So, what do you want to do next?” The Italian man asks.

“Its up to you, really. Oh, and don’t worry about cost, I’m paying for the whole thing.” Alfred informs Lovino, waving the plastic ice cream spoon importantly.

“Damn, really? Id refuse, but I can’t really turn down an offer like that.” The wind rises up for a second and kisses Lovino’s hair, tossing the slightly wavy hair into Lovino’s face and then pushing it out of his face. Lovino runs a hand through his hair, missing a curl that always sticks out to the side.

“Of course you can’t. I wouldn’t let you anyway.” Alfred smiles at Lovino again playfully.

“Pssh, you bastard.”

“Hey, I’m _your_ bastard, and you love me.” Alfred replies nonchalantly. Then he blinks. “Wait, I didn’t _mean_ it like--”

“Fucking hell!” Lovino laughs. “You never think about what you say, do you!” He says, hand over his mouth as he snickers. Alfred pouts into his ice cream.

“Don’t have to tease me for it.” Alfred whines.

Lovino playfully pushes at Alfred’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Alfred.”

As they turn the corner, Alfred dumps his now empty ice cream tray in the trash. The sidewalk leads up to a store, a big old fashioned building with large glass windows.

“It’s a thrift store up ahead. Wanna go in?” Alfred offers. “If not, there was a candy store about a block back,” he says, gesturing with his thumb.

“I think thrift shopping sounds fun.” Lovino says. “I’m gonna pop some tags...” He mutters, smirking.

“Only got twenty dollas in my pocket,” Alfred continues, laughing. “Lovino, can we go thrift shopping? What what, what what.” Their snickering trails off as they enter the store.

It’s pleasantly warm inside and it smells faintly of coffee.  A few other people trail around within the store.

“Welcome! Anything marked with a green sticker is half off, today only.” Someone greets from behind a little checkout counter to their right. Alfred is already practically _diving_ into the racks of clothes, but Lovino stalls, if only for a second. The cashier had caught his eye.

They were blonde, with angled emerald eyes, and pale skin. The best thing to Lovino was that he couldn’t tell what gender they were.  Lovino couldn’t help himself; he blushed and quickly followed Alfred behind the racks of clothes.

“Alfred,” Lovino hissed, trying to get the other boys attention. “Alfred! Come here.” Alfred looks up, and walks over to where Lovino is, behind a coat rack.

“Yeah, dude, what is it?”

“See that cashier over there? Please tell me you find them as aesthetically pleasing as I do.” Alfred, with the ease of being taller than the racks, looks over the clothes racks and over to where the cashier is counting money.

“They’re alright, I guess. I just can’t tell what gender they are.”

“That’s the beauty of it! Man, I wouldn’t deny them the night of their life.” Lovino says, biting his lip.

“Damn, Lovino, don’t get a boner.” Alfred chuckles. Lovino blushes.

“What, haven’t _you_ ever seen someone so gorgeous you just wanna kiss them?” Lovino asks, eyes focused on the cashier.

“Yeah,” Alfred says softly. “Yeah, I have.” Lovino looks back at Alfred to find to blue eyes focused on him, then quickly averted. Alfred clears his throat. “C’mon, stop pining over the cashier and come check this ugly coat out.” Lovino, cashier practically forgotten, follows Alfred to a very seriously ugly coat.

The boys mess around in the store as time passes; they try on a lot of ugly coats, shoes and hats. Lovino finds himself enjoying his time with Alfred more and more. When Alfred laughs, Lovino smiles on pure reflex because Alfred’s laughter is truly contagious.

Lovino finds out Alfred collects decks of cards once they wander past the clothes section of the store.

“Why would you want to buy that deck, it has holes in all the cards.” Lovino says, unimpressed.

“Do you realize what that means? The hole through the deck means it’s been used at a casino- look, this one says it was used at The Vexen casino in Vegas! I only get the ones from around the US; I want a punched deck from every state. I have about 35 decks already!” Excitement is obvious on Alfred’s face as he talks about his collection. “I’m buying these.”

“Ooh, they’re 97 cents. Such a spender.” Lovino comments, looking at the little orange price tag roughly stuck to the package. “You’ll have to show me your collection when you get the chance.” Alfred nods happily.

“Sure, dude!” Alfred’s phone chimes suddenly, and he pulls it out of his coat pocket to check it. Lovino watches Alfred’s eyes flick back and forth as he reads the message, then watches his mouth as Alfred chews at his bottom lip. “Looks like Arthurs back in the dorm, which means he talked with Francis.” He sighs.

“So?” Lovino asks, not understanding why Alfred is so unhappy.

“Listen.” Alfred says, and begins to read the message he’s gotten out loud. “ _I always knew—_ uh, hold on.” Alfred scrolls down a little on his phone. “ _If you and Lovino are finally fucking, please do it off campus because Francis and I really don’t wanna hear that._ ”

“Well that was blunt.” Lovino deadpans.

“He’s not one for beating around the bush…” Alfred says sheepishly. “He’s very dense.”

“Never mind him, he can take his assuming opinions and shove them up his ass.” Lovino says with a sense of finality.

Alfred laughs. “Alright, I won’t respond to his text now. It’s about 5:30, do you wanna go get something to eat?” Alfred says, showing Lovino the clock on his glowing phone screen.

“Sure, that sounds nice.” Lovino nods. “Let’s go buy those cards and then head out.”  
“Alright, dude! Where do you wanna eat?” Alfred says, swaggering over to the check out counter. The blond cashier is still working, and greets them with a smile.

“I'm not sure,” Lovino says. He’s not really familiar with the area that they were in, he had hardly gone to the city to simply _enjoy_ it.

“Alright.” Alfred says, placing the cards on the counter.

“Will this be all, sir?” The cashier asks politely. Alfred nods. The cashier takes the cards and carefully removes the sticker, then rings it up. “That will be a dollar even.”

“Here you go.” Alfred hands the cashier a single bill, and the cashier puts it in the tray, then slides it shut with their hip.

“Thank you, have a nice day.” The cashier smiles again, and Lovino nearly melts behind Alfred. That smile was _killer_. Alfred walks out, cards tucked safely in his pocket, but Lovino again stalls behind.

“Hey, listen, I have a question.” Lovino says, facing the cashier. The cashier cocks their head to the side.

“Yeah, okay, shoot.”

“What gender pronouns do you use?” Lovino asks.

The cashier smiles. “Well, like, I prefer he or they, although that’s not a question I get very often.”

“Well, I just thought I would ask. Congrats on your face.” Lovino says with a wink, then walks out of the store, leaving a blushing cashier in his wake.

Alfred was waiting for him just outside the doors. He grins his trademark lopsided grin at Lovino, a teasing look in his eyes. “So did you ask for their number, or what?” He asks as they walk down the gray sidewalk, streetlights glowing overhead.

“No, I simply complimented them.”

“Did you tell them you wanted to be their sugar daddy?” Alfred smirks.

“Fuck off, Alfred.” Lovino retaliates. “You know I'm too broke for that.” Alfred raises an eyebrow above the white frames of his glasses.

“So if you weren’t broke…?” He questions.

Lovino clears his throat. “Where are we going for dinner?” Glancing up at Alfred out of the corner of his eye, he sees Alfred smirking and rolling his eyes.

“There’s a bar and grill nearby. It’s called _The Squire_ and it’s the best. I use to date one of the workers, I wonder if they’re still around.”  
“Is there anyone you _don’t_ know or haven’t slept with?”

“Fuck you, I didn’t sleep with them. Sure as hell wanted to though.” Alfred sighs. “Would you stop teasing me like that? I told you, I used to live around here, so I know people.”  
“I could take you to where _I_ grew up and you’d probably recognize someone.” Alfred simply shrugs. “Alfred, I grew up almost _five thousand_ miles away from here.”

“Can’t help it. I just have one of those faces. Can’t forget me.” Lovino had to agree with that. He’d never be able to forget Alfred, even if he tried. Not that he wanted to.

The walk to The Squire was a short and silent one; Alfred and Lovino were the only ones around spare the occasional drunk and or single passerby.

As soon as Lovino saw the building, he knew it was a good place. Cheer and laughter simply _oozed_ from its open front door, and it glowed with a warm light. Alfred smiles.

“Ah, I haven’t been here in too long. Wait, what day is it?”

“It’s Tuesday, Alfred.”  
“It’s football night! C’mon!” Alfred says excitedly, grabbing Lovino's arm and pulling him into the restaurant. Seemed Alfred had been doing a lot of grabbing and pulling today… Lovino was surprised he had _let_ Alfred grab him like that anyway.

The noise in the bar and grill was astounding, men and women cheering loudly at a wide screen TV at one end of the room. The room branched off to the other part of the building, where some tables and chairs were spread out, several of them occupied by groups of people talking quietly.

“ALFRED!” Someone cries, and Lovino has to step back to avoid flailing limbs as Alfred is tackled into a hug.

“Toris, my man! Good to see you!” Lovino can see a head of shaggy brown hair beside Alfred’s blond mess.

“Come have a drink, Al, Allie, Alfred!”

“Oi, Gilbert! Come get this drunk off of me before he does something stupid.” Lovino is surprised by the simple and somewhat easy way Alfred deals with someone flying out of nowhere and clinging to him.

“Alfred! What are you doing here? Come back after all this time to bask in my awesomeness?” A very very _very_ blond man steps out of the crowd, hands on his hips like some peter pan reincarnate.

“Gilbert, I'm serious, please control Toris,” Alfred laughs.

“Why should I?”

“You _know_ how he gets when he’s drunk.” Alfred says, gingerly trying to peel the arms around his chest off.

“Ey, 'm not that drunk!” The brown haired one cries, apparently that one’s Toris. He clings tighter around Alfred.

“So?” The very blond one shrugs.

“ _Gilbert!_ I don’t want-“ Alfred is cut off by the smaller man in his arms standing on his tip toes and kissing him. Lovino is shocked and somewhat… pissed off.

He has no idea why, why would he be pissed off if someone kissed Alfred? It’s not like he _likes_ Alfred or anything.

Alfred makes a noise of surprise and stands there for a second, then reels back as if he had been shocked. “Toris, god _damn_ -“

“I miss you, Alfred.” Toris says, his cheeks flushed. Lovino didn’t think it was from the kiss. Toris looked very, very drunk.

“You’re smashed, Toris. Go home.” Gilbert finally steps forward and helps peel Toris off of Alfred.

“I'm sorry,” Toris calls out as Gilbert drags him away, back into the crowd.

Alfred heaves a sigh. He runs a hand through his hair, tugging at the curls at the back of his neck with his first finger and his thumb. A nervous habit  Lovino had never seen before.

Seemingly remembering Lovino was standing there, Alfred turns. “Listen, sorry about that, load of drunks, all of them…” he trails off, obviously embarrassed by the whole situation.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Lovino says. He tried to ignore the knot in his gut that formed the second Toris kissed Alfred. “Don’t worry about it, it’s not your fault. Let’s just go eat, alright?” Alfred nods. He inhales, cheeks puffing out, then exhales and smiles.

“Okay. This way.” Alfred says, gesturing with his arm to the other side of the restaurant. “Excuse me, Liz?” He says, catching a hostess’ attention. “Can we get a table?”

The hostess, a curvy woman with long brown hair and elegant green eyes smiles and nods, leading them into the dining part of the restaurant. “Alfred, good to see you!” She says, smiling warmly at the blond at Lovino's side. “Who’s this here?” She asks, gesturing at Lovino as the boys sit down at the far corner of the restaurant.

“This is Lovino, my roommate at the academy.” Alfred says, smiling at the hostess. _Elizabeta_ , her name tag says.  
“Aren’t you just the cutest?” She says affectionately. “Alright lads, what do you want to eat?”

“I want some of your cooking, Liz! What can you make us?” Alfred says, gazing up at the green eyed woman.

“Well, uh, see, I'm not supposed to be cooking right now. It’s not my shift.”  
“But you’re so handy with a frying pan!” Alfred jokes. Liz glares at Alfred, and Alfred just laughs loudly. Lovino is just lost, why did Alfred know these people so well, he was leaving Lovino behind whenever they made any inside jokes.

“Antonio is on the fryers right now. If you want something fried, you gotta pick something Antonio makes.”

A cheer rises from the crowd in the other part of the building.

“Must have scored, or something.” Alfred notes.  “Anyway Liz, just surprise me, I’ve tasted everything here and I like it all.”  
Liz jots that down on her little note pad. “What about you, sweetie?”

“I’ll have whatever he has.” Lovino shrugs noncommittally.

Liz nods and gracefully walks back to the kitchen area.

“Listen, sorry about Toris.” Alfred says again. He won’t meet Lovino’s eye.

“Alfred, it’s okay.”

“You know how I said I dated someone who worked here? Well that was him. Not the way I wanted you to meet him, though.” Alfred says, frowning. “Maybe we can come back another night and talk with him when he’s not drunk as hell.”

“Sounds fun.” Lovino says gently.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Lovino nods. Alfred, relieved, smiles at Lovino.

“He’s not actually that bad of a guy. Gilbert’s an ass though, I mean, he practically is the real world Narcissus.” Alfred huffs, twirling the hair at the back of his neck with his fingers again. Lovino was curious as to why that habit only showed up now.

There was a moment of silence as Alfred fought for something else to talk about. Lovino could see it on his face, Alfred was struggling to keep it casual and not awkward, and he wasn’t doing a good job.

“Tell me about your high school years.” Lovino starts instead.

“My… high school years?”  
“Mmhmm.” Just an easy topic, something to ease tension.

Alfred shrugs. “It was high school. Nothing too special.”

“Bull shit, high school went on for 4 years, _something_ had to have happened that’s memorable.” Lovino deadpans.

“Well. Uh. There was one time in theater class where I almost cried on stage because I was so in character.”

“Go on.” Lovino says, interest peaked.

“Well, you see, the play was this really dramatic show, and I was the lead, of course. I was the _hero_.” Alfred says, waving his hands animatedly. “I had to try and rescue my best friend- who was played by my best friend, isn’t that awesome- but the evil witch kills him before I can rescue him. And, you know, he was a great actor, so when the lights cut to him with perfect timing, he just dropped to the floor, and my heart nearly broke.” Alfred laughs sheepishly. “I get really in character… but I guess that’s what makes me a good actor.”

“I’d love to see one of your shows sometime.” Lovino says, smiling softly.

“I know that Arthur’s parents got a recording of that show.” Alfred says, thoughtfully gazing at Lovino.

“Arthur?”

“Yeah, he was the best friend.” Alfred smiles.  
“Would have never guessed.” Lovino says, being honest, the way and Alfred and Arthur interacted you would have guessed they were more enemies that anything.

“Yeah, he’s my best bro. Or was, then he moved in with _Francis_ and-” Alfred is cut off mid rant by Liz gliding back over with two big bowls of soup. She gently places them on the table in front of Alfred and Lovino respectively, not spilling a drop.

“Here you go, boys.” Liz smiles. She then gracefully walks back to the kitchen area. Lovino didn’t know it was possible to be so elegant in everything, but Liz managed to do just that.

Lovino looks down at the soup, picking up his spoon. It’s a white and creamy soup, with chunks of what seems to be potatoes and chicken. It smelled heavenly, and Lovino takes a bite.

And man, it was _delicious_.  
“Isn’t it great?” Alfred exclaims. “Its just the best soup ever, dude!”

Lovino had to agree. He takes another bite, never mind the temperature being hot enough to burn his taste buds right off.


	3. An Ending Like Lovino's Romcoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date wraps up, and francis and arthur are still assholes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!! Last chapter !!!!  
>  this idea at the end is essentially what spurred the idea of this whole fic.  
> i hope youve enjoyed reading! this chapter is really short but eh, whatever.  
> To quizzletriangle3, i hope you like this 10k words i put together in a special order just to make you smile. Merry christmas (and happy new year)! <3 Notkewlio

After the boys finish their delicious soups, they stay in their little cozy booth in the corner and just talk about random things. Whatever just came to mind. Lovino was at ease, laughing warmly along with Alfred. Lovino would have been fine with just staying all night to talk, but Liz came over and told them unless they bought something else, they’d have to leave.

Alfred decided it was time to go home. It was getting late anyway. Lovino had lost track of time, it was far into the night by now.

After bidding almost everyone at the tiny bar and grill goodbye, (Toris was missing, probably had gone home by now,) Lovino and Alfred went outside, only to be met with a wall of snow. Big, fat snowflakes were lazily drifting to the ground, covering the streets with a cozy silence, making the dark night glow with white light.

“Oh, it snowing, finally. Think you can manage the walk back to the car?” Alfred teases. He still hasn’t buttoned up his coat. Stupid head. If Alfred caught a cold and got Lovino sick, Lovino wouldn’t talk to him for a week.

Lovino nods. He's zipped his coat up again, his hands firmly rooted in his pockets so they wouldn’t freeze off. “I can manage, its just snow.” He says, not unkindly.

“So… Lovino. What do you want for Christmas?” Alfred asks as they start their cold journey back to Alfred’s car.

“I'm not sure. Didn’t really think about it, really.” Lovino says, shrugging. His hair is blown into his eyes as a burst of wind sweeps past. He brushes it out of his face with one hand, looking up at Alfred. “Why?”

“I wanna get you something, of course.” Alfred says, as if this was perfectly clear.

“You don’t have to, you know.” Lovino says.

“Bull shit, I'm getting you something.” Alfred scoffs. Then he pauses, biting his lip, his steps becoming long and lazy. “You know what I want for Christmas?” He says.

“What?” Lovino kicks at the snow covering the ground. His toes are cold, even through his shoes.  
“A kiss.” Alfred manages.

“Like, one of those tiny chocolate candies?” Lovino jokes.

“No, like a _real_ kiss.” If Lovino didn’t know better, he’d say Alfred was actually _blushing_.  
“With who?”

“Guess.”

“I'm not gonna play ‘guess who Alfred wants to exchange spit with’.” Lovino deadpans.

“Its you, Lovino.”

“What?” Alfred steps into a gap between two shops, out of the way of the blowing snow. Lovino follows. It’s a bit warmer here. Alfred is nervous, shifting his weight from foot to foot.  
“Kiss me.”

Lovino wasn’t sure if he had heard right. Alfred stammers.

“I mean, I saw how upset you got when Toris kissed me, and I didn’t want you to think I was still _about him_ and we’ve been beating around the fucking bush all day, and we’ve already almost kissed _twice_ so please, just _kiss_ _me_.” Alfred says, all in one big breath, his blue eyes darting around nervously. Lovino blinks once, then twice.

Lovino steps closer, looking at Alfred. Alfred finally looks _at_ Lovino, his cheeks a soft shade of red, but he doesn’t step away. Lovino leans closer, feeling Alfred quick breaths on his skin.

When their lips finally touch, Lovino feels this weight lift off his shoulders that he didn’t even know was there. The knot in his gut unties. Lovino exhales against Alfred’s mouth, and both boys relax into the kiss. Alfred’s lips are a bit chapped but Lovino couldn’t care less, because Alfred is reaching up with one hand to cup Lovino’s face with a gentle touch. Lovino opens his mouth against Alfred’s lips, and Alfred does the same.

With a swell of emotion, Lovino pushes Alfred back into the alley wall without ever breaking the kiss. Alfred hums, his tongue sliding along Lovino's bottom lip. With a small gasp, Lovino leans closer, his eyes shut tightly; and he wonders _why the fuck he hadn’t done this before_.

Lovino pulls back, his lips suddenly very cold in the absence of Alfred’s warmth. Alfred exhales, his breath visible in the cold air.

“ _Damn_ , Lovino.”

“Shut up.” Lovino blushes. “Bastard.” He says, searching for words, but not being able to find the right ones. Lovino turns and starts to walk back to the sidewalk. Alfred quickly catches him by the crook of his arm and pulls Lovino flush to his body, then gently leans to press his lips against Lovino’s. It was a tender kiss, unlike the one Lovino had just orchestrated.

Alfred tips his head away, his lips ghosting over Lovino’s mouth. The taste of Alfred remained on Lovino’s lips, and it was something he wanted to taste again and again.

“Do you know how long I wanted to do that?” Alfred whispers.

“How long?” Lovino whispers back, gazing up at Alfred’s half lidded eyes.

“ _Too long_.” Another gentle kiss is pressed against Lovino’s lips. Alfred pulls back, one hand reaching to hold Lovino's.

“Your hands are cold, Alfred, why the _fuck_ are you touching me with your ice cube hands.” Lovino says, alarmed with Alfred’s freezing skin. Alfred laughs, reaching his hands up to tickle at Lovino’s neck, under his scarf where his skin was warmest. “GAH! Don’t fucking touch me, oh my god-“Lovino laughs, pushing at Alfred’s hands and pulling them away from his neck.

“My hands are always cold.” Alfred explains. Nonetheless, Lovino takes Alfred’s hand.

They start walking back to Alfred’s car, a feeling of shared warmth between their linked hands.

 

When they get back to their dorm, Francis and Arthur are waiting in the hall with expectant expressions. Alfred heaves a sigh, but Lovino smirks, a plan already forming in his head.

“So, boys, tell big brother everything!” Francis calls out.

“How was your _date_?” Arthur sneers.

“Oh, it went great.” Lovino swaggers closer, Alfred close behind him. “Wanna see?” He smirks, then grabs Alfred by the shirt collar and pushes him against their room door and pulls him into an intense kiss. Francis pretends to puke, Arthur makes a little choking noise in his throat. By the time Lovino starts to suck on Alfred’s bottom lip, both Francis and Arthur have ran back to their room.

Lovino laughs, and Alfred just looks dazed.

“Woah,” Alfred says, his freckles blending into the red blush on his cheeks. “That was.. Wow.”

“Get a hold of yourself, Alfred. It was only a kiss.” Smirking, Lovino rolls his eyes.  
“A damn good one, Lovino. Wow.” Alfred repeats. Lovino smiles and kisses the edge of Alfred’s mouth.

“C’mon, I'm tired, let’s go in.” Lovino says, pulling his room key out and unlocking the door, then walking in and flopping on his bed, face down.

“Not even gonna change into proper pajamas?” Alfred teases, closing the door behind him with a soft click. Lovino makes a noise, probably one of disagreement to the idea of getting up. “At least take off your shoes and scarf.” Lovino sighs.

“I don’t wanna…” he complains, but Lovino sits up and kicks his shoes off. Lovino takes off his blue scarf and tosses it on the floor, and Alfred snorts. What a very Alfred like habit, Lovino was usually the one to keep things neat and organized. Alfred is changing into proper sleeping clothes, his bomber jacket already hanging safely in the closet. Lovino gets to freely eye the freckled back of his new boyfriend as he changes, and Lovino had never enjoyed a view so much.

“Stop checking me out and go to sleep,” Alfred says a knowing tone to his voice. Lovino scoffs.

“Fuck off.” He says.

Alfred, now changed, flops into his own bed and slides the covers up to his chin. His eyes glitter as he looks at Lovino, who is laying on his side, gazing at Alfred. Alfred smiles. “Go to sleep, Lovino.” Lovino reaches out his hand. He crosses the small gap between the beds. After a second, Alfred realizes what he’s trying to do. Alfred reaches out too, their hands linking and dropping to swing slightly between the two beds. "merry christmas, lovino." Alfred whispers.

"Bah humbug." Lovino says softly, eyes slipping shut.

They fall asleep like this, fingers intertwined, with no intention of letting go.

 


End file.
